Chapter 156: Permission
Dokgo Jinak's eyebrow rose slightly.
“You need this lord?”
“Yes, Cult Leader.”
“What do you mean by that?”
His voice turned cold.
“Don't tell me you're asking this lord to offer up his head for the sake of your return to the righteous faction.”
He seemed to be probing for my true intentions.
I calmly shook my head.
“Of course not. How could I dare ask such a thing?”
“Then?”
I looked directly into Dokgo Jinak's eyes.
“I want you to teach me.”
“Teach you?”
Interest appeared on his face.
The rewards he'd offered me...
elixirs, gold and silver, martial arts manuals.
They certainly wouldn't be ordinary items.
They were treasures personally offered by the master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Any one of them might be enough to stir the entire martial world.
Elixirs were precious.
Wealth and martial arts manuals were the same.
But I possessed knowledge from before my regression.
And I still had the Blue-Gold Token given to me by the head of the Myeong Family Merchant Group.
If I had enough time...
I could find ways to obtain elixirs or money eventually.
What I truly needed now was something else.
Something knowledge from my previous life could never provide.
Something money couldn't buy.
Something even a fortunate encounter alone couldn't fill.
It was—
Martial arts.
I needed to reach a far higher realm than where I stood now.
True Immortal Cheongun.
Dokgo Cheonyul.
Immortal Yeonha.
I had touched the martial intent they had left behind.
The Flow.
Because of it, I'd become incomparably stronger than before.
But it still wasn't enough.
No.
Now that I was stronger...
I could see my shortcomings even more clearly.
I'm still nowhere near ready to face Moyong Cheonhwi.
I had touched the martial intent of absolute masters...
but I hadn't yet made it fully my own.
Countless real battles.
Desperate training.
Relentless tempering.
Only after going through all of that would the Flow truly become mine.
And right now...
there was someone standing before me who could force that process forward faster and more effectively than anyone else.
Heavenly Demon Dokgo Jinak.
An absolute master even Moyong Cheonhwi couldn't casually challenge.
Someone capable of exposing every flaw in my sword path...
and showing me exactly how far I still needed to climb.
What I needed wasn't treasure.
It was the guidance of an absolute master.
Dokgo Jinak.
“A Taoist of Kunlun asking the Heavenly Demon for instruction.”
A thin smile appeared on Dokgo Jinak's lips.
“Interesting.”
He looked at me.
“But are you really sure?”
His gaze sharpened.
“If word spreads that a righteous martial artist received martial guidance from the Heavenly Demon...”
“the consequences will not be easy to endure.”
I didn't back down.
“I've already been given the title of Heavenly Demon's Kindred Spirit.”
I shrugged slightly.
“At this point, would receiving guidance from you really change much?”
Then I continued.
“Besides, I'm not asking to learn the Divine Cult's martial arts.”
“I'm asking you to point out the flaws in my own sword path.”
I met his gaze.
“What I realize at the end of that process will be mine alone.”
“As for whatever the world says afterward...”
“I'll deal with that myself.”
"..."
Dokgo Jinak closed his eyes instead of answering immediately.
He seemed to be weighing my true intentions.
After a short while...
his eyes opened.
“Very well.”
His voice was firm.
“This lord permits it.”
I bowed respectfully.
“Thank you.”
“But remember one thing.”
Dokgo Jinak's tone turned warning.
“You say you want instruction...”
His gaze narrowed.
“but what you truly want is to cross swords with this lord, isn't it?”
"..."
He was right.
My intention was to temper my sword through direct clashes with a stronger opponent...
and climb to a higher realm.
Dokgo Jinak continued in a cold voice.
“Whether it is real combat or training...”
“this lord's sword contains no mercy.”
His eyes hardened.
“Discard any half-hearted resolve.”
“If you ask this lord to teach you, you should at least be prepared to lose an arm.”
A chill ran down my spine.
...Did I make a mistake asking for this?
Seriously.
I'd asked for martial arts guidance.
Not a life-or-death duel.
Why did this man have to sound so murderous about everything?
But I couldn't back down now.
Looking weak here would be even more pathetic.
I deliberately put strength into my voice.
“I'll receive your instruction prepared to die.”
One corner of Dokgo Jinak's mouth rose slightly.
“Prepared to die.”
His smile deepened.
“I like that.”
Then he added,
“Whether those words are sincere...”
“this lord will personally confirm.”
"..."
Personally confirm?
For some reason...
that sounded ominous.
Well, either way, I got what I wanted.
Heavenly Demon Dokgo Jinak.
I'd gained the opportunity to receive direct instruction from him.
No matter how I looked at it...
there couldn't be a greater fortunate encounter.
Just as I was feeling satisfied—
“Then let's go.”
Dokgo Jinak suddenly spoke.
I blinked.
“What?”
“Go where?”
“Didn't you ask for instruction?”
He looked at me as if the answer were obvious.
“Then we begin.”
I stared at him.
“Now?”
His eyes narrowed.
“When else did you intend to start?”
“No, I mean... you only just woke up—”
“You dare worry about this lord's condition?”
A mocking smile appeared on his lips.
Then—
“Or are you worried about your own?”
I was speechless.
Sure, I'd asked him to teach me...
but I hadn't expected to start immediately.
Wasn't there at least such a thing as preparing mentally?
Apparently not for Dokgo Jinak.
He began walking.
“Follow.”
I hurried after him.
“W-Where are we going?”
“The Heavenly Forbidden Prison.”
A familiar place.
The place where I'd first met Goeong...
no, Dokgo Jinak...
after falling from Falling Death Valley.
Why there?
When I tilted my head, Dokgo Jinak smirked.
“If this lord is going to properly instruct you...”
“we need a place sturdy enough for it.”
I frowned.
“Sturdy enough?”
“This lord will be personally taking action.”
He glanced back.
“Do you really think an ordinary training ground could withstand it?”
"..."
What exactly was he planning to teach me for him to say something like that?
So the warning about being prepared to lose an arm wasn't a joke?
Dokgo Jinak seemed to read the hesitation on my face.
His smile grew wider.
“Surely you aren't frightened now.”
“N-No.”
I straightened myself.
“My resolve is firm.”
“Good.”
Dokgo Jinak spoke lazily.
“I sincerely hope you manage to remain alive for quite a while during this lord's instruction.”
"..."
The chill in my spine had gone beyond discomfort.
Now I was actually sweating.
Should I ask for a different reward while I still can?
The thought crossed my mind for just a moment.
But the chance to turn back was already gone.
“Then let us see.”
Dokgo Jinak's voice was almost amused.
“Whether your fate is to die...”
“or to live.”
After delivering a joke that sounded far too sincere...
he started walking toward the Heavenly Forbidden Prison.
I made the right choice... didn't I?
I quietly followed him.
And suddenly...
one thought crossed my mind.
Maybe what I'd asked him to open wasn't the door to enlightenment.
Maybe it was the gates of hell.
At the northwestern edge of Kunlun Mountain's branching range...
there was a deep valley called Moklim Valley.
Moklim Valley was one of the places on Kunlun Mountain where signs of human activity were especially rare.
It wasn't merely because of the harsh terrain.
The land beyond Moklim Valley was considered to fall within the influence of the Demonic Cult.
Because of that, even mountain gatherers and herbalists who frequently traveled through the mountains avoided the region whenever possible.
And after the incident ten years ago, when members of the Demonic Cult descended near Kunlun and slaughtered Kunlun disciples...
the mountains around this area became even more ominous in the eyes of nearby villagers.
People living below the mountain described Moklim Valley like this:
A valley leading toward the afterlife...
where demonic martial artists more terrifying than wild beasts wandered freely.
The only people who still occasionally entered Moklim Valley were hunters with no choice but to risk the mountain trails to make a living.
That day...
a handful of particularly bold hunters were climbing through the valley.
They had gone deeper than usual.
An old hunter with completely white hair scanned the surroundings and spoke cautiously.
“We should turn back around here today.”
A younger hunter looked disappointed.
“Already?”
He glanced around.
“We haven't even caught anything worthwhile yet.”
“Go any farther and we'll be past the border.”
The old hunter lowered his voice.
“You know that from this point onward...”
“wild animals aren't the only thing we need to fear.”
The young hunter grumbled.
“Why?”
Then he gave a crooked smile.
“Afraid we'll run into someone from the Demonic Cult?”
The old hunter glared at him.
“Don't casually say something so unlucky!”
"..."
“Words can become reality.”
His expression darkened.
“What will you do if we really encounter them?”
The other hunters' faces stiffened at his words.
Rumors that the martial world had become dangerous lately had even spread to the villages below the mountain.
The Righteous Alliance was supposedly searching everywhere for members of the Demonic Cult.
A young Taoist from Kunlun had supposedly been killed by the Demonic Cult.
